Destruction
by Warriors Heart
Summary: This story begins with a warning to Ivypaw. It makes her want to tear her heart out. Her Clan is in danger, and she knows it's her fault. Watch Ivypaw's, Dovepaw's,Jayfeather's and Lionblaze's struggle to save the Clans from destruction. T for blood.
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

Destruction

Yellowfang leaped forward, stealing the moment, and threw the mouse in the air. She finished it off quickly, letting out a satisfied purr.

"Good catch," Oakheart said. She nodded her head in reply. "Bluestar wants to see you," he informed her. Irritated she hadn't come herself, but curious on what Bluestar had to say, she headed off.

Finding her, Bluestar approached her, looking cautious. "Yellowfang. Thank you for coming. I need to ask you to walk in a young cat's dreams," Bluestar said.

Yellowfang wanted to jump on her, but asked Bluestar what cat it was.

Bluestar cringed. "Ivypaw," she said. Now Yellowfang really wanted to jump on her clanmate.

"That traitor? She lied to Firestar and caused a huge battle for Tigerstar! We can't trust her, I'm not doing it," Yellowfang announced, and then she turned and walked off towards the direction she came.

"Wait!" Bluestar yelled, and with that Yellowfang's feet went out beneath her, and, yowling, she fell over.

"What now?" Yellowfang asked angrily.

"Please Yellowfang! I need you to do this, it's important. You must tell her that you are a StarClan cat. Explain what she is doing; tell her she must fight for us. Please Yellowfang, I need you to do this.

Yellowfang considered. Bluestar wasn't usually this desperate, and she knew Ivypaw needed her help… still…

"I'll do it," she said, and she stormed away from Bluestar in anger.


	2. Chapter 2: A warning from the stars

**A/N: Alright, I'll keep this quick. Here's chapter two. Not sure how I'm doing on this since it's my warriors Fanfic, but we all know it's not very nice to read and not review. If you hate it, and you hate my guys, go ahead and tell me. Anyways, I hope I'm doing 'kay.**

Destruction/ Chap 2

Ivypaw wandered into a forest that she hadn't seen yet. Hawkfrost wasn't there! She wandered around curiously, smelling everything until she became bored with it. Finally she rolled herself into a tight ball and tried to fall asleep. It didn't feel like long, or perhaps it was a few hours, till she was prodded back to consciousness. A gray she-cat with matted fur and a somewhat ugly face stood in front of her, and she didn't look friendly.

Ivypaw stared into the scary she-cat's eyes, trying not to shake. "Who… who are you?" she asked nervously.

The cat rolled her eyes and stared back at her. "I'm Yellowfang, now follow me," she said, and as Ivypaw tried to protest she was shushed rather rudely.

Ivypaw followed the matted-fur cat through a beautiful forest, wishing desperately that she could stop and hunt along the way. She heard prey scuffling under every bush and hole.

Finally they stopped. Ivypaw ran into Yellowfang who quickly turned and snapped at her.

"Ivypaw, do you recognize this place?" Yellowfang asked her.

Ivypaw looked around. Now that Yellowfang asked her, she did. She was back home with her StarClan friends. She could see Hawkfrost and Tigerstar walking toward them. She ran forward to greet them.

"Where were you?" she asked irritably. "I've been here for a long time, and nobody but this cat came!" she yelled, noting the angry glance Yellowfang shot her.

"You didn't come to our forest, so we didn't come to you," Tigerstar said, and she could see a flicker of hatred flash in his eyes.

She glanced at Yellowfang. She was staring at Tigerstar with a bit of shock in her eyes.

Okay, what was going on here? Why were three StarClan cats looking like they were about to fight? Ivypaw stepped in between the three of them.

"What's going on? You can't fight! You're all from StarClan!"

Yellowfang turned on Hawkfrost and Tigerstar. "StarClan huh? That's a first!"

Ivypaw felt like someone was tearing her heart out. Her mentor wasn't… wasn't StarClan? She was horrified.

"You lied to me!" she screamed, full force. "You taught me all this amazing stuff and now I find out that you were against me and it was all a LIE? I hate you!" she yelled, and right then, she snapped awake, horrified.


	3. Chapter 3: Dovepaw

**A/N: Good so far? Thanks for all your reviews, please keep it up!**

Ivypaw shook herself. She couldn't believe it. All lies. All lies.

Dovepaw woke up next to her. "Are you okay? You were shaking and kicking a lot in your sleep," Dovepaw informed her. Shocking.

Ivypaw wanted very badly to claw at her ear. Even after the battle their relationship was somewhat shakey. Her sister, she was sure, was still convinced she was much better than her, and she also thought Dovepaw was hiding something form her.

But looking into those eyes, Ivypaw saw concern. Real concern. For her.

Ivypaw licked her sister's ear. "I'm fine, really. I just had a nightmare, and it was really bad…" she trailed off, her mind flying to back to Yellowfang and her two mentors in… well, wherever they had been.

Dovepaw's gaze softened immensely, even though Ivypaw hadn't thought that possible. "Were you visited again?" she asked.

She hated it when cats knew what she was thinking, and Dovepaw was the best of the best.

The truth was, Ivypaw wanted to cry out like a kit, and tell somebody… everything. She had caused an awful battle, and now, because of her, her leader was on his last life. She felt sick to her stomach.

She knew what to say. "Yes. Yes, I was," and she began to spill it all out to Dovepaw, her only sister. She couldn't believe she was saying it, but she was.

Dovepaw didn't interrupt once, but the looks of horror and sometimes sympathy were enough.

When she finished they were both silent.

"So… You met Yellowfang then?" Dovepaw asked. Ivypaw nodded, and screamed inside. Her sister got everything. She wasn't the only one being visited by other cats in her dreams. And Dovepaw's were actually StarClan cats.

"I'm so sorry… I want to be friends, like we used to. I don't care if you have a secret. If it's important then it's okay," Ivypaw said to her denmates astonishment.

They went outside and shared a plump squirrel together, preparing for a hard day of training.


	4. Chapter 4: Training

**A/N: Okay, Okay. Sorry last chapter was so mushy. I needed for Dovepaw and Ivypaw to become friends again. Thanks for your patience. :) Remember to review! Alright, here we go, Chap 4…**

"Now roll. Jump! Twist… and land. Nicely done Dovepaw," Lionblaze praised her. "I think that's enough for now," he said.

She didn't answer, but simply started walking back. Lionblaze caught up to her. "You seem… unfocused today. Are you and Ivypaw getting along okay?" he asked her.

"That's just the thing… We sort of… made up after the battle. I… I'm just thinking. I'm tired." She took off before he could catch up to her. The sound of his footsteps followed her.

Behind her, she heard him softly whisper, "Dovepaw, Dovepaw. What am I going to do with you?"

Ivypaw searched the forest floor, looking for Cinderheart, ready to pounce on anything challenging her. A branch snaps.

Snap around.

Jump.

Claw.

Jump off.

Target face.

Flee backward and face opponent.

"Wow! That was really good!" Cinderheart says, sounding extra soft and sweet today. Ivypaw knew she was worrying about her.

"Let's go practice some tree fighting for a little bit," her mentor suggested. Ivypaw muttered something insensible back, but agreed.

Dovepaw tore a chunk out of the plump mouse she was eating. Lionblaze came and sat beside her.

A small "oof" was knocked into her as a tiny bundle of fur hit her. She looked down to see Cherrykit's large eyes looking up at her. A small purr escaped her.

Poppyfrost's voice came from the nursery. "Cherrykit! Cherrykit! Come back here! Now!"

The young kit, almost three months, could not wait to be an apprentice. She remembered the feeling. Now she couldn't even imagine caring. If she never became a warrior… would it really matter?


	5. Chapter 5: The place of no Stars

**A/N: Alright. So, again, not much happened last chapter. I'm getting there. Keep reading! Thanks for your reviews everybody!**

Ivypaw didn't want to go to sleep that night, even though she was exhausted from training.

Thought neither of them had talked, Ivypaw knew that she wasn't the only one still awake. She knew that both her and Dovepaw knew it. Finally, Ivypaw sat up. "You wanna go out?" she asked. Dovepaw shrugged, but considered and then nodded. The two of them crept quietly out, making sure not to wake the others.

Once in the night air, Ivypaw took a deep breath. The night tasted clean, and fresh. The two of them sat, taking in their surroundings. Spiderleg was on guard, kits were still mewling in the nursery, and they could barely hear Mousefur's moans coming from the medicine den. Ivypaw knew it was because she was dreaming about Longtail. The Clan was beginning to worry about her. She was one of their last two elders, and she seemed to have lost the will to live. Ivypaw promised herself to visit the old elder tomorrow.

"So whatdid'ya wanna talk about," Dovepaw said, yawning.

"I can't go to sleep, that's all," Ivypaw told her. She really was scared to go to sleep. What if she never woke up because her former mentor… killed her?

A cough came from the warrior's den.

"Uh oh. Hope Lea… I mean Jayfeather takes care of that," Dovepaw said. She looked down guiltily.

They both remained silent for a long time. Finally, Dovepaw said, "I'm going to sleep," and headed to their den.

Ivypaw stayed out a lot longer. _What if I don't wake up?_ She thought, as she finally lied down. _What if_ _they kill me?_ But the thoughts couldn't keep her from closing her eyes, and dozing off.

Ivypaw looked at her surroundings and moaned in horror. She was back in… whatever this dark forest was called.

"Correct actually, it is the Dark Forest. The place of no stars," came a voice behind her.

She spun around and leaped, catching her victim off guard. But Hawkfrost was quick. He moved out of her way, scratching her muzzle in the process. The yowled in pain and fury and ran into the forest to climb a tree, using a move Hawkfrost wouldn't have learned.

She heard a growl of frustration as he looked for her. "Get down! Fight me!"

She waited until he was right below her, and jumped with all her might, landing perfectly onto his shoulders. She scratched him once, twice, three times, and leaped backwards off of him. She nipped his back leg with precision, knocking his balance out from under him, and knocked him over, pinning him down. He yowled with rage, but Ivypaw had won and he knew it.

"Leave me alone! I hate you, I don't want to be trained anymore!" she screamed.

"So. Be. It."

And she woke up back in the apprentice's den, shaking with anticipation and fury.


	6. Chapter 6: Warriors

**A/N: Hmm… Not quite sure what to make happen in this chapter, but we need a little action so…**

Dovepaw woke up to find her sister shaking. "What's wrong?" she asked Ivypaw.

"I… he… we…" she struggled.

"It's alright. I get it," Dovepaw said sympathetically.

They crept outside of the den. The dawn patrol was about to go out. Lionblaze was waiting to see if his name was called. He gestured for her to come over.

"Do you wanna go on dawn patrol?" he asked sleepily. Dovepaw just nodded back.

"… Lionblaze and Dovepaw," Brambleclaw finished.

They headed out.

Dovepaw paused once in a while to get a good sniff. "What do you smell?" Lionblaze asked her. She thought, and smelled again.

"I smell RiverClan on patrol, but that's all that's interesting," she told him. He nodded and they moved on.

They finished the patrol and came back. _Nothing interesting to report_. Dovepaw thought unhappily.

When they got back to camp, Lionblaze nodded to her and went to talk with Cinderheart.

She watched them curiously from a distance. Lionblaze touched her nose in greeting and they went to… the leaders den. Dovepaw was somewhat puzzled. She decided to mind her own business and looked around the camp for Ivypaw. She was coming towards her with a large magpie in her mouth. Dovepaw's stomach rumbled.

"I think we can share," Ivypaw said. "Anything interesting happen while I was gone?"

Dovepaw considered, and then told her about Lionblaze and Cinderheart. Ivypaw thought.

"Do you think…" she started, then shook her head.

"What?" Dovepaw pawed her sister's ear affectionately. "Tell me!"

"Do you think that we're… going to become warriors?" Ivypaw asked. The thought hadn't occurred to Dovepaw.

They finished the magpie in silence.

Jayfeather worked tirelessly without Leafpool. Mousefur was suffering from depression. Although he wasn't going to tell the Clan, he knew there was nothing he could do for her. She had a slight case of greencough, and for once, she wasn't fighting it. She had lost her will to live.

Jayfeather wasn't the sympathetic type, but he had to feel bad for Purdy. Soon he would be the last elder, and every cat had noticed his affection for Mousefur.

Briarlight had also become a serious struggle. She was coughing more and more each day. He was doing his best, but Briarlight was… well, losing her light. Her siblings were always visiting her, and they acted like there was nothing wrong with her, but they always made an effort to avoid talking about their training.

Jayfeather wished that he could have some… idea. Some way to make her better, like teaching Cinderheart to swim, or some medicine to heal her.

But he didn't.

He walked outside, wanting a break, when he felt his… mother's eyes on him. He turned and looked back at her when he was swept into her memory.

Squirrelflight was talking to Leafpool. "What will you name them?" Leafpool seemed to consider.

She nosed the future Hollyleaf. "This one's Hollykit," she said. "She looks tough, but she's beautiful."

She turned to the little mewling kit in the middle, a shimmering golden color that contrasted beautifully with the snow. "This one's Lionkit. He'll be brave, and strong."

Finally, she turned to him. Leafpool sat down, thinking. "Jaykit," she finally said. "He may be… blind, but he'll have senses like that of a jay. Then she turned away.

Jayfeather snapped back into reality. Leafpool was still looking at him. He _hated_ it when she did that! Sent him memories to show him how much she regretted their position. He turned to her and shot his mother a glare, then turned back to check on Briarlight. So much for a break.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath Highledge," Firestar yowled.

Dovepaw, Ivypaw, Lionblaze, and Cinderheart gathered particularly close.

Lionblaze was happy for his apprentice. Finally, she would become a warrior! He felt rather proud, and he puffed up his chest a little more.

"ThunderClan becomes stronger every day, and today is no different. I am so proud of all our warriors, apprentices, and kits," Firestar said, sounding happy.

He looked down. "Today, two apprentices will earn their warrior names after all their hard work. Dovepaw!"

Lionblaze stepped forward with his apprentice, who was shaking with anticipation. They'd both been waiting moons for this.

"Dovepaw, you are an eager and talented cat, who is brave and ready to serve your clan. From this day forward, you will be known as Dovewing."

Firestar stepped forward and Dovewing licked his shoulder respectfully.

Then he stepped back, and Dovewing went to stand beside Lionblaze.

"Ivypaw!" he called.

Ivypaw and Cinderheart stepped forward, looking absolutely embarrassed, but very proud in the same manor.

"Ivypaw, you are young, and filled with energy that you use for good. From this day forward, you will be known as Ivyflower."

"Dovewing! Ivyflower! Dovewing! Ivyflower!" the clan cheered.

Lionblaze may not have become a warrior, but he felt as though he were on top of the world.


	7. Chapter 7: Jay's Wing

**A/N: Hmmm, well last chapter turned out much better than I thought it would. Not as much action as I wanted, but okay. Anyways, keep reading… I'll figure something out. Just FYI, Originally I made Dovepaw Dovesky, but then I decided I could make the story a little better if I named her Dovewing. You'll see why… I hope… **

Jayfeather crept quietly back inside his den after the ceremony. He couldn't believe it. Her name… Dovewing. Dovewing. Her name was DOVEWING. He was horrified. Rock had gotten to him, and he knew it.

As soon as Briarlight was done with exercises, and he was sure Mousefur was warm and asleep, he headed for the lake.

He looked out, wishing badly for his stick. "Rock! Rock, please! I need to talk to you! PLEASE!" Jayfeather was yowling furiously, screeching, wishing desperately for some connection, for some…

"Hello Jay's Wing," came a voice behind him. He spun around, somewhat scared, looking for Rock, who he could feel staring at him with unseeing eyes. "You broke the stick," he stated simply.

Jayfeather bowed his head. "You lied to me," he retorted.

Rock didn't look down. "You want to see them," he said.

Jayfeather was silent.

"You want to see them," Rock repeated.

Jayfeather nodded slowly, knowing this was true. Everything around him spun, color flashing… color. He could see. He got up and stretched, feeling as though he'd slept for a long, long time. He looked around. He was surrounded by many other sharptooths, all staring at him and looking concerned. He got up and looked around, and he recognized where he was by the smell, and sound. The sound of a river, or waterfall. The sound of rushing water.

"J-j-j-j-j… Jay's wing?" a voice asked, sounding as if they'd been spooked by a ghost.

**A/N: Okay, VERY SHORT CHAPTER! I thought it was a good place to stop, but I'll update very soon. Remember to review!**


	8. Chapter 8: Dove's Wing

**A/N: Okay so far? Remember, it's a sin to favorite without reviewing!**

Ivyflower had spent another night scared to go to sleep. She and Dovewing had gone on the dawn patrol, and had hunted on the way back. Dovewing had two voles and a squirrel to show. Ivyflower had one pathetic mouse.

But that was okay, because she was a warrior. She lived with Whitewing and Burchfall, and all of the other warriors. Life was good.

For now.

Jayfeather stared into the face of all his old friends.

Everyone was staring at him open-mouthed.

"I've… missed you all, so, so much." He licked all of them behind the ear in affection. They continued to gape. He flicked his tail back and forth, hoping for them to talk.

Then they all, as though in unspoken agreement, came up and nudged him, licked him, pawed his ear playfully, greeted him.

Jayfeather returned the greeting with pleasure. He loved them like his Clanmates.

Then they all began moving their mouths, as if to ask him questions, but he could hear nothing. He tilted his head to the side. "Um… If you're talking, I can't hear you, speak up," Jayfeather said.

Now they looked confused, tilting their heads to the side. Then they began moving their mouths again, but they were still silent.

Jayfeather started panicking. He was blind when he was Jayfeather. Was Jay's Wing deaf now? Then they all stopped and gaped at him all over again. He looked down self-consciously, and saw one of his paws was glowing. Brightly, like a StarClan cat. He opened his mouth too, and shook his paw, as if to make the light fall off. But soon his whole body had lit up, and before he could do anything about it, he was back in the forest by the lake, and Rock was standing a few feet off, watching him blindly.

"Why couldn't I hear them?" Jayfeather asked angrily.

Rock bowed his head, but he didn't look ashamed or angry, just sympathetic.

"When you broke the stick, you broke the bond. Tell me Jay's Wing, when you visit the sacred stone, do you hear them whisper to you anymore?" he asked.

Jayfeather looked down. He wanted to screech like a kit. He'd broken the stick. How stupid was he? "Show her who she is," Rock whispered as he faded into the trees.

"Dovewing! I want to take you… somewhere," Jayfeather yelled from across camp. Curious, Dovewing walked to greet him. He turned around and they walked out the barrier together.

Dovewing followed him over hills and trees, but he didn't trip once. Once, he had almost slipped into a rabbit's whole, and she'd pushed him away from it. He had turned on her angrily. "I don't need your help. I can find my way around just find with smell and sound," he told her, sounding overly calm.

She had backed away and continued following him from a distance.

"We're nearly there," he told her when they neared the entrance to a cave. It looked normal, gray and faded, but she sensed power.

When they went inside, her footsteps fell into other pawsteps that were sunken into the cold stone perfectly.

Jayfeather led her to a lake that sparkled with the sun that was beginning to turn a pale orange.

He knelt down beside the lake. "Dovewing, come next to me and drink the water," he said.

She obeyed, and then waited for further instructions. But as she blinked she fell asleep.

Jayfeather waited until Dovewing was asleep, and then concentrated on her breathing, taking a gulp of water. In moments he snapped awake, watching Dovewing frolic around in a field filled with mice and flowers. He hated to disturb her, but he had to tell her.

"Dovewing!" Jayfeather yelled to her.

She spun around and gasped in the surprise of seeing him. "Jayfeather! How… how are you in my dream?" she asked with a very kit-like voice. He rolled his eyes.

"Follow me, I have to show you something," he said, and soon they were in a new cave. Jay's Wing's cave. He looked around, breathing in the scents of home.

Dovewing looked surprised. "Where are we?" she asked him. He ignored her and continued walking until they stumbled into their ancestors hunting grounds. Some of his old friends greeted him, but he still couldn't hear them. He let them know, and they nodded and continued into camp. Then they went into the sharp claw's den, and he explained why they were here.

Dovewing's eyes widened as Jayfeather explained. She was like him: An ancient cat's spirit was in her. Dove's Wing's spirit to be exact. He nodded to her occasionally, but the other cats didn't seem to notice her. There was another cat among the group that looked just like her. She stared at the cat, but she never once stared back. Dovewing was puzzled.

Jayfeather finished explaining and they all nodded. Then he said goodbye, and they all nuzzled and licked him warmly. He purred with happiness.

Then they were both awake.

"So now you know," he said to her.

"Why couldn't they see me?" she asked.

Jayfeather considered. "Did you see that other cat in the room? The one that looked just like you?" he asked seriously.

She nodded.

"Well, that was Dove's Wing. She is you, you are her. Where she is, you are not. Where you are, she is not," he said.

Dovewing's head spun. Jayfeather got up and began to walk back toward home. She followed.

Jayfeather walked out of the cave, savoring the moment as he felt Dove's Wing rub herself beside him, mumbling softly. He left the cave feeling as though he'd dropped ten mice he'd been carrying.


	9. Chapter 9: Beginnings End

**A/N: Okay, you know the drill, I say that it's my first and I hope its okay, and then ask you to review, yada, yada, yada.**

Ivyflower awoke and stretched, then looked around for Dovewing. She gasped and groaned at what she saw. She wasn't in camp. She was in the Dark Forest. She looked around again, taking in her surroundings, hoping she was alone.

Seeing she was, she climbed the nearest tree and tried to get back to sleep. But sleep wouldn't come.

She closed her eyes for the twentieth time, desperate to wake up in her den, when she heard a voice.

"I hear you're a warrior now?"

She leaped from the tree and pinned a non struggling Hawkfrost down. "What's it to you?" she asked him.

He shrugged. "I was your mentor," he said, and she yowled and scratched his nose furiously. That got him mad.

He sprang up, sending her flying and turned to face her. She wished she could smile. She had hoped for a fight with him again. She hoped to kill him this time, or at least as much as she could, with him already dead.

Ivyflower sprang upward, but landed off to the side. His legs went under hers and sent her onto her stomach, gasping for air. She leaped back up, and began to scale a tree, but Hawkfrost has learned his lesson. He jerked her tail down hard, and she fell on her back, where he pinned her down.

She scratched his belly multiple times, causing him not to yowl, but some obvious discomfort. In his moment of weakness, she slipped out from under him and dashed into the forest, looking for a good tree.

When another cat leaped out at her, she was shocked. Tigerheart pinned her down and bit her throat. Hard. She yowled and struggled, trying to ignore the amount of blood that was already soaking her coat, and she saw her own pain reflected in his eyes. Finally, she stopped struggling and came to a rest. Tigerheart released his grip.

"That's what you get, for trying to run away," he said, and in her last moments of light, she saw Tigerstar emerge from the trees, nodding his head in approval, and Hawkfrost coming in from the side.

She woke up back in her den, still in pain, still drenched with blood. "Help," she mumbled softly, "Help. Please. Dovewing?" she pleaded. No answer came. She lied there, unconscious and dying while she waited for somebody to wake up, realize she was hurt, get help. Finally it came.

"Ivyflower? Oh StarClan, what happened?" Whitewing yelled, and she took off out of the den without an answer. Ivyflower was unconscious again when Jayfeather ran into the den, smelling every part of her and mumbling questions to her. At this point everyone else was awake, staring at her.

"This place is too crowded. Everybody out except for Whitewing, Birchfall, and Dovewing," Jayfeather announced. They all nodded and all but the three left. Cinderheart asked if she could stay too, and she sounded very worried. Jayfeather considered and nodded.

Jayfeather didn't know what to do. What had she been doing? Fighting in her sleep? He though. _Fighting in her sleep… _Jayfeather stared, stopping what he'd been doing. _Fighting in her sleep. Fighting in her sleep. Oh StarClan… _

Jayfeather realized everyone else was staring at him, waiting for him to do something. "Dovewing, I need cobwebs and some tansy," he said, and then he considered. "Fetch Leafpool," he finally said. Dovewing stopped on her way out and turned to argue, but thought better of it and continued out. He continued nosing Ivyflower, hoping for a heartbeat. For a moment he felt none. He bowed his head and listened for a few more moments. Silence. He continued to listen. _Please, please, please don't let her_ _die_, Jayfeather thought. More silence and then… a very small and steady heartbeat. He sighed in relief.

"She has a slight heartbeat, but we need to stop the bleeding fast," Jayfeather told the concerned cats around him.

A few moments later, which felt like forever, Dovewing walked in with Leafpool and the supplies he'd asked for.

He turned to Leafpool and explained the situation. She nodded, and as he pressed the tansy on, she helped wrap the cobweb around the wound. Then she licked his ear, turned, and left.

"Can you all help me move her to the medicine den?" Jayfeather asked. They nodded. Slowly, they lifted the young she-cat up, and moved her across the camp and into Jayfeather's den. Once there, he roused her and made her drink. He'd done all he could do.

When he woke up the next day, his den was loud with coughing. He looked over to see who it was. Briarlight and Mousefur were both coughing noisily. He told Briarlight to begin her exercises while he gave Mousefur some catmint to help the whitecough she had. She was getting worse every day.

Ivyflower was still sleeping soundlessly.

When he went to check on Briarlight, she was half way done with the exercises, but she was panting madly. He rubbed his body against hers. "Come on Briarlight, you can do it, finish up your exercises and you can rest," Jayfeather struggled to encourage her. He wasn't the sweet comforting type, and she knew it. He'd come quite fond of the she-cat though, and he wanted her to get better more than anyone in the rest of the Clan.

She stopped what she was doing and looked at him. "Jayfeather, I think we both know you're just putting death on hold," she said. Jayfeather, although blind, widened his eyes in surprise. She knew she was going to die. He could do nothing about it.

"Not if you keep doing your exercises," he said unconvincingly. _Please_, he thought, _please StarClan, make a place for her when she's ready._

Lionblaze waited outside for Cinderheart. He was shocked. Ivyflower had been recruited and they hadn't even realized it. He figured Jayfeather had figured it out by now. She'd have to explain to her Clan. There was no way she was hiding this.

Cinderheart finally came out, looking tired. He licked her ear and motioned her to follow him. She nodded and he headed to the forest.

They trotted beside each other. "Is Ivyflower going to be okay?" Lionblaze asked.

She shrugged sadly. "I don't know. We've got a great medicine cat, but he can only do so much."

She sighed. Lionblaze felt like his heart was being crushed at the sight of the beautiful, life-loving she-cat so upset. He wrapped his tail around hers.

"It's going to be okay. Ivyflower will heal," he said, hoping it was true. She nodded unenthusiastically.

They began walking back to the camp in silence. Before they reached the barrier he stopped her.

"You're so perfect," he said to her. She looked at him with steady eyes and tilted her head to the side, asking him what he meant.

"You fell from a tree when you were an apprentice, but before anyone could tell you what you could and couldn't do, you knew you'd be a warrior. You recovered, and even after you failed your final assessment, you became Cinderheart. You're just so perfect. I wish I were like you," he said honestly.

She licked his ear. "You're perfect too,"

And with that they walked back to the camp.

When Jayfeather awoke, only one cat was coughing. He felt happy. One of his cats had recovered. He walked into his den to see who it was, and found Purdy frantically licking an un-breathing Mousefur.

Jayfeather put his head down and walked out to tell the Clan.


	10. Chapter 10: Cinderheart

**A/N: Okay, to anyone reading this, I hear you're having trouble switching POV. Sorry, I put lines in the word document, but I guess they don't show up on the actual thing. I'll work on that, okay? Thanks!**

Ivyflower, though barely conscious, knew that Mousefur had stopped breathing. She moaned. Mousefur. Dead. Gone. With StarClan. The fact that Purdy was next to her as she died had made it sadder. The things he'd said to her in those last moments. She'd never think about him the same way.

She was feeling better the next time she woke up. The smell of death was gone, and her throat didn't hurt so bad. But she kept thinking of Tigerheart. She'd thought of him as a friend when they'd trained together, and now he'd almost killed her. That was what she got for being friends with somebody from another Clan.

The only thing that made her really upset, however, was that she kept wondering what the Clan would say. Would they hate her? Would they make her an outcast? The gathering was in four days. What would she do? She was panicking, and didn't know what to tell anyone. Finally, she made a decision.

"Jayfeather?" she called. "Jayfeather? Can you send Dovewing in? I'd like to talk to her. Jayfeather?"

"What?" came the irritated reply. She frowned. He must be upset Mousefur had died.

"Can you call Dovewing? I need to talk to her," she said. He nodded and went out, returning with Dovewing in a minute or so. "Can I talk to her alone?" Ivyflower asked. He nodded again and left. Checking once more that Briarlight was asleep, she told Dovewing what had happened. Dovewing, as before, didn't interrupt, but she looked sad. Ivyflower knew that her sister had always had a relationship with Tigerheart, being that they went to make the water return together. Now Ivyflower had ruined that. But she couldn't feel sorry for her sister now. She needed to get help. Dovewing stopped and thought after Ivyflower finished.

"I'll tell Firestar the entire story for you," she finally said. Ivyflower gasped.

"Would you? Please Dovewing?" Her sister nodded. Ivyflower breathed out a thank you, very relieved, and Dovewing left her, telling her to sleep. She did, feeling lighter and happier then she had in days.

LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LIONBLAZE POV LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE

Lionblaze waited until all the warriors were asleep, and then nudged Cinderheart. He knew they were both awake. "Are you okay?" he asked her. She shook her head.

"Not… feeling so great… is all," she said weakly. But Lionblaze knew her better than that.

"You need to go to the medicine cat. Now Cinderheart, come on," Lionblaze said. Slowly, she stood up. _Oh StarClan, this is bad, _thought Lionblaze._ This is really, _really_ bad. She didn't argue twice. Something's up._

Slowly, they walked to the medicine den, with Cinderheart leaning against him the whole way. When they got there she collapsed and passed out.

He nudged her, making sure she was alive, and then called for Jayfeather. He trotted out and looked surprised when he saw his brother and Cinderheart. "What happened?" Jayfeather asked.

Lionblaze didn't know. "I don't know, she just… didn't look right," he said. Jayfeather examined her.

"It's okay, I think she's just got a bit of a fever. She probably ate some bad prey," Jayfeather told him. Lionblaze let out a sigh of relief.

"Fetch me some feverfew for her," Jayfeather told him. Lionblaze agreed and went to fetch some.

He was so glad Cinderheart would be okay. Jayfeather was still poking and prodding at her, but Lionblaze knew she'd be alright. That was all that mattered. A few minutes later, Jayfeather came over to Lionblaze, who'd been watching from a distance.

"She'll be weak for a few days, but it's no big deal. Just a bad mouse," he said, and then he curled up in his nest and went to sleep.

Lionblaze tried to decide what to do. In the end, he went over to the place where Cinderheart was now sleeping, and curled up next to her.

LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE Dovewing's POV LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE

Dovewing cringed as Firestar's tail twitched. "It was a lie? I lost a life, I let my warriors get injured for a LIE?" Dovewing had never seen him so angry. He was yowling so loudly she was worried he'd wake his sister up from the medicine den.

"Firestar, please, Ivyflower didn't know-" Dovewing began, but she was cut off my another angry yowl from him.

"She should have! It was Tigerstar and Hawkfrost! Kits hear stories of what they did!"

Sandstorm put her tail calmingly on his shoulder, but he shook it off and turned away. Sandstorm nodded to her and whispered, "You can go, I'll take care of him."

Dovewing stood in the middle of the clearing, feeling lonely and wondering what to do next. Maybe she could go see Lionblaze. He'd know what to do. But then, he wasn't her mentor anymore…

_Oh well_, she thought, heading in the area where she could hear him. _He's still a friend_.

When she found him he was creeping across the ground. "Lionblaze!" she called out before thinking. There was a scuffling noise and Lionblaze shot forward and clawed the ground, coming up with a mouse.

"What do you need?" he asked.

"Oops, sorry," she said. "I just told Firestar about… Ivyflower," she started. He shook his head, but motioned with his tail for her to follow him into the forest.

They walked for a few minutes until they came to the lake. Then he lied down, and began to speak. "So Firestar knows now? And… they had recruited Ivyflower?" Lionblaze asked. Dovewing nodded.

"But she didn't know," she said, instantly coming to her sisters defense. Lionblaze nodded.

"Poor Ivyflower," he said. Dovewing shot him a questioning look. "I was recruited too," he said, answering her unasked question. She was shocked. Her mentor… recruited?

"What happened?" she asked. He shook his head.

"Let's just say that it didn't go well when I told him I was quitting on him," he said. She decided not to ask anything else.

Together, they stood up and walked back to camp.

LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE Lionblaze's POV LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE

Lionblaze wasn't surprised when he heard what Dovewing had to say. But he had other things on his mind. He went to the medicine den. Cinderheart had been there for three days now. Finding she was awake, he came in to talk to her.

"Hey," he said.

She twitched her ear in reply.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

She looked up. "I'm fine, but uh…"

He tilted his head to the side. "What's wrong?" he asked her.

She looked down. "Um… well, let's just say I'm moving to the nursery," she said.

His jaw dropped and it was as though the impact of the words knocked him over. He sat, still shocked.

She was grinning.

"Who with?" he asked.

Suddenly she jumped up and knocked him over. "You stupid," she yowled, and then fell off him laughing.


	11. Chapter 11: The Gathering

**A/N: I know I've said this a lot, but thanks for all reviews and favorites! This sounds silly, but thanks especially to Icethroat21 and TigerHeartWarrior, for giving me some really great advice. I hope it makes my story better. **

Ivyflower listened from her spot in the medicine den as Firestar talked with Jayfeather.

"No, not right now, if you stress her out it will only make things worse," said a voice that sounded like Jayfeather.

"I must talk to her Jayfeather, it's important," came Firestar's calm and controlled reply.

There was a moment of silence. "Very well, but if it gets out of control…" Jayfeather trailed off, and Firestar came into the place where Ivyflower was staying for the time being with Briarlight. She wished Cinderheart were here. She always knew what to do, but Cinderheart had moved to the nursery.

Firestar lied down next to her and stared at her, seeming to take her in. "Ivyflower, I believe that what you did was a mistake, but a mistake that will cost you and your whole Clan," he began, and Ivyflower cringed.

"You've heard the stories of Tigerstar and Hawkfrost since you were a tiny kit. I do not understand how you could trust them, but that is for you to explain," he said, and then he looked again at her expectantly.

She bowed her head. "I was… recruited, you could say. I woke up one night in the Dark Forest, although I didn't know that at the time, and Hawkfrost met me and trained me. I thought he was a StarClan cat, so it was all okay. After he'd been training me for about a moon, I met Tigerstar. He told me that ShadowClan was planning to attack ThunderClan, which would have explained the ShadowClan scent we'd smelled on earlier patrols," Ivyflower explained. She took a deep breath. "But he also said that if I told you the truth you wouldn't believe me, because you hated him, and he hated you when he was alive. He told me that now he simply wanted to warn you. He lied to me," she said.

Firestar was quiet for a long while. "Did anything else happen?" he asked. She nodded.

"Recently a real StarClan cat came to me and told me that it was all a lie. Hawkfrost wasn't a StarClan cat, and he and Tigerstar had tricked ThunderClan into battling ShadowClan. Then I woke up. The next time I saw Hawkfrost we fought, and I beat him with the new tree strategy," she said. Was she imagining it, or was that pride she saw in Firestar's eyes? "Then I told him to leave me alone, and I woke up. But… he called me back and… when I tried to climb a tree he jerked me back down. I ran from him, because I knew he had won, but then Tigerheart jumped out and he pinned me down and bit me. I woke up after that," she said, and then she stopped and looked to her leader. He looked deep in thought.

"So Tigerstar bit you?" he said. She shook her head.

"Tiger_heart_ bit me. From ShadowClan?" she tried to explain. She saw recognition fly through his eyes.

"I understand your confusion, and tonight is going to be a rough gathering, but we will make it. I'm not going to ask you to come, because if you did, I'm quite sure you wouldn't make it home," he paused, waiting for the effect of what he'd said to sink in. Ivyflower closed her eyes and nodded.

"Thank you for explaining," he said, and with that he left.

L

Dovewing sat and waited for the rest of the Clans to settle down. The gathering was starting. Things were going to get rough.

Mistystar began the meeting. "RiverClan is well. Prey is many, and we have a new litter of kits." She stepped back while the rest of the Clans mewed approvingly.

Onestar stepped forward next. "WindClan has much prey. Breezepelt and Heathertail chased a fox away," Onestar finished, and then sat down.

Now it was Blackstar's turn. Dovewing held her breath. Blackstar stepped forward. "We have lost a strip of territory," he said, and the rest of the Clans stirred, whispering to each other. "ThunderClan challenged us for it, and they… won. Prey is still running well, however," he finished bitterly. Then he stepped back and looked to Firestar, his eyes boring holes in the leader's coat.

Firestar stepped forward. "ShadowClan, I address you to tell you, that ThunderClan has made a mistake," he began. Murmurs of shock rippled through the crowd. "I will now tell you the reason we challenged you for the land we had gifted you." Firestar turned to Blackstar. "An apprentice recently came to me and told me that she had a dream from StarClan, telling her that ShadowClan were to challenge ThunderClan for more of their land. Believing her, we challenged you for the land we'd given you as a gift." Firestar explained, still staring at Blackstar. "Four nights ago, this young warrior woke up with a bloody bite to the throat. Once she was cured, she told us that she had woken up in the Dark Forest again, after having a fight with Hawkfrost and telling him to leave her be. They had fought, and at the end, one of your warriors, Tigerheart, had bit her throat, which had woke her up, but almost killed her as well." All eyes turned to Tigerheart, who looked terrified.

Blackstar turned to his warrior. "Is what he says true? Were you in the Dark Forest?" the leader asked.

Tigerheart slowly nodded his head. "I thought it was StarClan, just like Ivyflower, and… and…"

Blackstar shook his head. "I'm very disappointed," he said, bowing his head. RiverClan and WindClan looked shocked, while ShadowClan and ThunderClan were glaring at Tigerheart. If Ivyflower was there, she probably would have gotten the same reaction after her story.

Firestar nodded. "ThunderClan would like to give you the piece of land we had stolen. We are in your debt," the ThunderClan leader said, bowing lightly to Blackstar.

Blackstar seemed to consider, then nodded. "Because both of our Clans share this struggle, I will accept. Firestar bowed again, and then stepped back. Blackstar, however, continued talking. "Has anybody else been recruited? Speak up. There must have been others…" when nobody admitted to being recruited his voice trailed off. He nodded in acceptance.

All Clans turned to leave. On the way out, Dovewing accidently ran into Breezepelt. "Oops, sorry," she said. He turned on her. Was it just Dovewing, or had she caught a murderous look in the warrior's eyes?


	12. Chapter 12: New apprentices

**A/N: I WILL ADD LINES I WILL ADD LINES I WILL ADD LINES. Seriously, like, I'm not even kidding I forgot to last time. Gag me. (Whoooa. That sounds valley girl…) Anyways, I still have something in the place of a line… aka that little L that was in my last chapter. Anyways, I've gotten lotsa reviews. Thank yee very much.**

Ivyflower's head snapped up when she heard the rest of her Clan returning. She stepped out of the den, to Jayfeather's immediate protest, and found her sister in the crowd. Her head was down and she looked tired. Ivyflower opened her mouth to talk, then decided Dovewing needed her rest, and simply accompanied her to the warrior's den. The only thing her sister said was something about Tigerheart being punished before she nodded off sleepily.

L

Lionblaze got up early the next morning. He wanted to hunt. He stepped outside the den and a cold blast of wind knocked him over. He shook himself sleepily. Leaf fall was here, and Leaf bare would be on its way. Cinderheart would have their kits in the heart of the coldest season. He shook his head to clear it and went to the circle where Brambleclaw was selecting a hunting patrol.

"Thornclaw, you can take Squirrelflight… Lionblaze, I suppose," he said as Lionblaze joined the small group around him. "Sandstorm and Spiderleg can go on the first hunting patrol," Brambleclaw murmured sleepily. All the cats he named nodded and they headed out as Brambleclaw began another list of names.

"Let's check by the old twolegplace," Sandstorm suggested. They all agreed fervently and turned right toward the twolegplace.

Lionblaze split off from the group and headed toward the small scuffling noise that he could faintly hear. The closer he got, the louder it became, and he went into a perfected hunter's crouch. He listened again. It was a mouse, from the sound of it. Once he was close enough, he leaped, finishing off the mouse quickly, but not quickly enough. "Eep," came the muffled sound. He rolled his eyes with irritation. Now he will have scared off every mouse, vole, and squirrel nearby.

Luckily, by the time his patrol turned and came back he had caught a wood pigeon and a small song-bird.

"Lionblaze!"

He spun around toward the direction his name had come from to find Dovewing, looking tired, prancing softly toward him. He touched his nose to her ear in greeting. "Do you need something?" he asked her, pointing his tail to the forest. She nodded and the two of them walked out of camp and continued walking. When they were away from the camp, Dovewing began to talk, but then stopped and flicked her ear. She began to walk in another direction, and Lionblaze followed.

Eventually, she stopped and tasted the air, then began climbing the tree in front of them. Lionblaze followed, now somewhat irritated that she wouldn't explain anything. Finally, they reached the top.

Panting hard, Lionblaze said, "Okay, now, why couldn't we stick to the lake, and what do you need to tell me?"

Dovewing tasted the air again. "Speak quietly. We came up here because there was a hunting patrol coming to the lake. Lionblaze, I think… I think Breezepelt was recruited."

Lionblaze nodded. "We know he's been recruited. He attacked Jayfeather. Would have killed him if StarClan hadn't intervened."

Dovewing's mouth opened in shock. She closed it and nodded. "Anyone else?" Lionblaze asked her. Lionblaze could see her thinking.

"Nobody I can think of, but Hawkfrost was RiverClan. We've found a ThunderClan recruit, a ShadowClan, and a WindClan. There's got to be someone from RiverClan who didn't admit," Dovewing finally decided.

Lionblaze nodded, and the two of them climbed down and headed back to camp together.

L

When Lionblaze and Dovewing got back to camp, they were immediately called for a meeting under Highledge.

"Today, ThunderClan earns two more apprentices. Cherrykit." Firestar said, calling the kit forward.

The ecstatic apprentice ran forward, quivering from head to paw with excitement.

"From this day until you earn your warrior name, you will be known as Cherrypaw," Firestar announced. He looked into the crowd. "Your mentor will be Spiderleg." Spiderleg stepped forward, greeting his new apprentice. "Toadkit!" Firestar called. Cherrypaw's brother came up with much more seriousness, puffing his chest up with pride. "From this day forward until you become a warrior, you will be known as Toadpaw," Firestar continued. Toadpaw, if possible, looked prouder. "Your mentor will be Cloudtail." Cloudtail came forward and the two acknowledged each other politely.

"Cherrypaw! Toadpaw! Cherrypaw! Toadpaw!" the clan called out, and while Cherrypaw danced around happily, Toadpaw simply stood nodding to his Clan.

L

Lionblaze went to the nursery after the ceremony with a mouse for Cinderheart, hoping she was hungry.

When he walked out, he was greeted happily by his mate, who licked his ear and twined her tail with his. Her belly had swollen three times its usual size in the past moon since the gathering. "It's awful having to stay in here all day! All I get to do is sleep. Lie down, and sleep. Is that fresh-kill? I'm starving!" she tore into the mouse with enthusiasm, and Lionblaze purred. Cinderheart had diffidently recovered if she was hungry.

"If you're so bored, we could go into the forest for a while," he suggested. "Or even just… out of here. Around the camp for a while?" he advised again. She nodded happily and the two of them walked out.

She leaned against him heavily, so they decided to avoid the forest, but Cinderheart seemed ecstatic to be out. She shared tongues with all of her Clanmates and chatted with the apprentices. Since she was the only current queen in the nursery, she had missed all of them.

Eventually, with Cinderheart still leaning very heavily on him, they stood and walked back to the nursery. Cinderheart collapsed back into her nest and fell asleep almost at once. Lionblaze nudged her again and left her to sleep peacefully.


	13. Chapter 13: The battle

**A/N: Last chapter was kind of a filler, but I'm gonna try to put some action in. Oh, also, you must be so proud of me, I put the lines in. YAAAAY! Thanks TigerHeartWarrior and Icethroat21 again for helping me with that. By the way, (one more thing) This chapter takes place a week or two after last chap.**

Lionblaze sniffed again, hoping he had imagined it. He hadn't. There was a slight smell of WindClan on the border. He closed his eyes, and ran back to alert the Clan, tripping over the dead rabbit. Oh no.

L

Dovewing was just leaving camp when Lionblaze ran right into her. She just about did a perfect back flip.

Dovewing thought she might have made a sound like, "Oooohhhh…" but she couldn't be sure.

Then she stood up. "Lionblaze? I'm gonna kill you mouse-brain…" But she sort of trailed off when she realized she was walking in circles. Then her sister was next to her, laughing.

"Sit down. Rest, you're running all over the place," Ivyflower said. Dovewing laughed too, but she didn't really know why.

Then Lionblaze was in front of her again. "Wanna come on a patrol?" he asked.

She nodded. "Where too?"

"WindClan camp," he said, catching her off guard.

"Are we going to kill Mudclaw?" she asked. Lionblaze tilted his head to the side.

"Um… on second thought, maybe you should stay in the medicine den… I think I hit you a bit harder than I thought…"

Dovewing shook her head to clear it. "No… No, I'm fine, let's go. Who else is coming?"

Lionblaze thought for a moment. "Cherrypaw and Toadstep, Ivyflower, Foxleap, Spiderleg, Sandstorm, Thornclaw, Toadpaw and Cloudtail… and Graystripe and Millie, Brambleclaw, Whitewing, and Birchfall, Brightheart, Poppyfrost, Berrynose, and Hazeltail" he decided. "Oh, but Firestar says he wants to come too."

Dovewing thought. Was she imagining things again? "That's a pretty big patrol. What are we doing?"

"I found WindClan scent all over our territory, and a dead rabbit, completely uneaten," Lionblaze explained. "Firestar and I both think that it's a threat, so we're going to inspect, and we both expect a battle. We're going in two patrols. You'll be in the second one. Firestar, Sandstorm, Thornclaw, Graystripe, and Spiderleg will be in the first. You, me, Millie, Foxleap, Ivyflower, Cherrypaw and Toadstep, Toadpaw and Cloudtail will be in the second. The third patrol will be Brambleclaw, Whitewing, Birchfall, Brightheart, Poppyfrost, Berrynose, and Hazeltail. First and second are only coming if Firestar says to. We have a signal," he explained. She nodded.

So they would only come if there's a fight.

Firestar came out from the den and called those on his patrol, and all of them headed out. Once at the WindClan border, they all waited for a patrol to pass them.

Dovewing and the second and third patrol hid in the trees, ready for action. Ivyflower shared a branch with her. Dovewing turned to her. "You sure you're going to be able to fight?" she asked her sister.

Ivyflower nodded. "I may hate him, but Hawkfrost did teach me a lot," she admitted.

Dovewing nodded. "We'll fight together. You can teach me all your moves another time," Dovewing decided. Ivyflower agreed.

The two entire patrols watched from their trees as Firestar talked with Onestar. They could barely see, but Lionblaze said the signal would be obvious. Even from the position they were in, they could all hear Onestar as he yelled out protest. Then they could see the first patrol attacking WindClan, and Firestar was yowling his head off. Lionblaze was right. It was an obvious signal. Then Firestar went under in a mass of fury and fur. Almost immediately, WindClan saw they couldn't do that as Dovewing and the rest of Patrol two jumped from the trees and ran to their Clan's rescue.

L

Lionblaze's blood pumped with adrenaline as he went to fight for his Clan. This was his chance to teach them a lesson. They couldn't come on his territory. As soon as he could he launched himself into battle, jumping on the first cat he saw, a young tabby apprentice. She fought viciously for her size, but she was no match for him. As quickly as she could, the tabby leaped off of him, and with a final hiss, left. He was yowling shortly in victory when something plummeted into his side, knocking the breath out of him. Breezepelt stood in triumph over him and bent down, biting on his neck.

_Oh no_, thought Lionblaze.

He went limp, pretending he was hurt, and just as Breezepelt purred in delight with his "kill" Lionblaze leaped upward and pushed his enemy off.

"But… But how? I killed you!" he yelled indignantly. Lionblaze grinned.

"You can't kill me," he said, and then he jumped onto his surprised opponent's back, digging his claws into Breezepelt's back. He yowled in pain, and twisted around, knocking Lionblaze off. That was Tigerstar's move, Lionblaze thought to himself.

The two warriors spun around to face each other and began circling. The rest of the battle seemed like a blur. It was only Lionblaze and Breezepelt.

"Been having fun training with your Clan's enemies Breezepelt? I'm sure Tigerstar has told you many flattering things that would make me wanna have a bellyache," Lionblaze taunted, and Breezepelt snarled in reply.

"And I'm sure _you've _been trying to train your pathetic brother how to fight me, haven't you?" Breezepelt shot back. Lionblaze yowled in a very strong and real rage, and launched himself at Breezepelt, bowling him over. Breezepelt's eyes widened in mock surprise as Lionblaze pinned him down.

"Oh no! You're not going to kill me are you?" he said sharply. Lionblaze yowled again and dug his claws deep into Breezepelt's belly. Breezepelt's eyes rolled back for a moment.

_Oh StarClan, please tell_ _me I haven't killed him… _Lionblaze thought. Then he recognized this one of a kind move that belonged to Breezepelt's new mentor.

Lionblaze used Breezepelt's power as he jerked upward, trying to knock him off, to his advantage, shooting himself into the air. When he landed it was squarely on his enemy's shoulders. He scratched as hard as he could, then he jumped off and smashed the weak part of Breezepelt's legs, making him fall. Once again he pinned the warrior down, biting his ear, scratching his already wounded belly.

Then he leaned down close to Breezepelt's face. "Had enough?" he said madly. He felt as though he could fight all of WindClan. This was good, because right then, another cat knocked him off.

Recovering, he spun around to see not just Breezepelt anymore, but Heathertail too.

_Great_, he thought, _hasn't she learned she can't beat me?_

Breezepelt was weak, but it was clear he was ready to fight Lionblaze to the death. For a moment Lionblaze pitied him for it. He leaped onto Heathertail, deciding to take her down first. He ignored Breezepelt's continuous scratching and clawing to his back. He pinned Heathertail down, and bit her ear, trying to ignore the screech of pain that she let out. _I won't kill her, I won't_, he thought.

Suddenly the weight on his back that had represented Breezepelt was released, and he felt much, much lighter. He turned for a moment to see who his helper was, and found Ivyflower, standing over his worst enemy.

He scratched Heathertail's face to get the point across to her, and she yowled in agony. When he got off of her she ran away. He turned back to Ivyflower. She was between three cats – She was on top of Breezepelt, and now two other cats had come to his aid. He couldn't tell who at the moment, but in the flash of action he thought one might have been Crowfeather.

He leaped onto Breezepelt's father and scratched him twice with his back feet, then leaped off. Crowfeather wasn't done yet though. He spun to face his enemy, leaping toward him with surprising speed, even for a WindClan cat.

But the senior warrior didn't stand a chance. He was soon retreating. Lionblaze looked around. At this point Ivyflower looked fine on her own, but the rest of his Clan was in a mess. He barely heard Firestar yowling for patrol three before his leader fell under a mass of WindClan cats. So Lionblaze finished his leaders call. The WindClan cats around him shot him questioning looks.

They would regret this fight when a third patrol came to the rescue.

L

Dovewing looked for a new opponent as the loudest cry of sadness and pain she ever heard rang out. She turned to see Crowfeather standing over a very still, and very dead Breezepelt. She closed her eyes. She hated Breezepelt strongly, but she felt bad for his father.

He turned and looked at her, and leaped. Surprised, Dovewing was quickly overtaken by him, and found him on top of her within a few minutes.

Dovewing let out a cry of pain as Crowfeather bit down on her throat. The pain was so intense she just wanted it to stop. But Crowfeather's eyes were glinting with the light of insanity. He wasn't letting go until she was dead. Everything started to go fuzzy and black, and she waited to see a StarClan cat coming to escort her. But it never came.

Instead, relief came as her former mentor knocked the heart-broken, insane warrior off of her.

_This is his father_, she realized. And now that she looked through squinted eyes she could see the pain in his eyes as the two of them fought.

Crowfeather, however, had no remorse in his eyes. He was avenging his son by… killing his son, or trying to. Dovewing knew it was impossible. Crowfeather was fighting an impossible fight.

L

Lionblaze saw Dovewing faintly stir as he looked up from his new opponent, his own father. She moaned.

"Dovewing! Get out of here, now!" he yelled to her. She was hurt bad. He looked around, struggling to do so and keep Crowfeather pinned down. "Ivyflower!" he called out. "Ivyflower! Dovewing's hurt!" Almost instantly Ivyflower appeared, took in the battle and her sister lying unconscious on the ground.

She nodded to Lionblaze and he was able to return to his fight, knowing one more Clanmate was safe.

By the time he won, he was surprisingly tired. Crowfeather had put up a good fight before retreating.

Then the sound of victory rang out. "WindClan! Retreat! Retreat!" Onestar's voice rang out. Firestar, who was very scratched up, gave one last furious yowl, and lead ThunderClan out of WindClan's camp.


	14. Chapter 14: Kits

**A/N: Well, I don't have much to say about this chapter, but thanks to tanglepaw, this chapter's for you.**

When Lionblaze walked into camp, he couldn't decide what to do first. Check on Dovewing, or let Cinderheart know he was okay?

He decided to see Dovewing, because he wanted to make sure she was going to be alright, even though he knew Cinderheart wouldn't be happy with him.

He changed his course and headed toward the medicine den. Dovewing was laying on her nest, which was filled with brand new moss and feathers. She didn't look conscious, and he turned to leave, but he could just barely hear her mutter, "Wait." He turned back to her.

"Thanks. For… saving me, I guess," she said. He nodded and licked her ear.

"Go back to sleep. You'll need it."

She barely nodded and then closed her eyes again.

Lionblaze found Jayfeather in the back of the den. "Will she make it?" he asked. Jayfeather nodded.

"It's deep, but it will heal. Crowfeather barely missed her soft spot. She's a lucky cat," Jayfeather reported. Lionblaze nodded his thanks and left.

He went to the nursery to find Cinderheart. She was awake, but breathing hard. He licked her frantically.

"Cinderheart? Are you okay?" he asked her, concerned. She nodded repetitively.

"Lionblaze! Ugh! KITS!" she yowled. His eyes widened and he ran back to the medicine den.

"Jayfeather!" Lionblaze mewed loudly. "Cinderheart's having her kits! Come quick!"

Jayfeather nodded calmly, grabbed some herbs, and together Lionblaze and his brother padded to the nursery where his mate was waiting for him.

L

Cinderheart was still breathing hard when they arrived. Lionblaze raced to her side, licking her ears comfortingly. Ferncloud and Daisy were mewing softly, trying to calm the first time queen down.

Jayfeather was putting his paws here and there, patting her belly and waiting for the first kit to come.

"How many are there?" Lionblaze asked.

Jayfeather felt around here and there, and finally replied with, "A lot… maybe four? Three? I can't tell exactly…"

A convulsion passed through her body, and a tiny wet bundle fell onto the soft feathers, struggling for its first breath. Ferncloud began licking it, and Lionblaze watched as his first kit took its first breath. He felt as though he would burst with pride.

"It's a tom," Jayfeather announced. Lionblaze looked at his little kit, a small, very light golden brown tom with bright white paws. He licked it once, and the newborn bundle of fur mewed a tiny protest. He purred. He like this little kit, his son. He was proud of him.

Another ripple passed through his mate, and yet another bundle of fur hit the ground. This time Lionblaze licked its sac off, feeling rather fatherly and proud of himself. The second kit was even smaller than the first, and was a light gray all around, except for a tiny white spot on the very tip of its neck.

"She-cat," Jayfeather paused to say before going back to work with Cinderheart. She was looking tired. Lionblaze paused from washing his new kits and turned back to his mate.

He licked her head continuously. When a third ripple passed through her body she gasped, and Lionblaze licked her harder.

The third bundle of life thudded onto the ground. It thrashed around madly, breaking its own sack, taking a breath on its own. Lionblaze paused from his mad licking to purr faintly. Jayfeather turned momentarily to the kit, examining it closely. "She-cat," he decided finally, and turned again.

The third kit was slightly larger than her sister, but smaller than the male. She was beautiful. Her fur was a light tortoiseshell and bright gold. Her paws were a faint gray. Lionblaze looked at her with amusement. He could see how strong she already was. She'd broken her own sac! He felt pride well up in him all over again.

The largest convulsion yet passed through Cinderheart's warm body, making her gasp in pain. But there it was, a fourth kit, lying on the ground. Daisy licked its sack off, and it gasped for breath. It was a white and black tabby, obviously a tom.

Cinderheart didn't seem to have calmed down though. She was still gasping rapidly for air. Lionblaze turned to his brother. "What's happening?" he asked. Jayfeather shook his head.

"I don't know, she should be calming down…" Suddenly another pulse ran lightly through Cinderheart's gorgeous fur, and a fifth sac filled with life fell out. Cinderheart took a deep breath, looking relieved.

Daisy licked the sack off, and looked surprised. Her tail twitched in distress. She looked up at Lionblaze and Jayfeather.

Lionblaze came to inspect the final kit. It was another tom, almost solid black with some golden patches. It wasn't moving. It wasn't breathing. Lionblaze couldn't believe it. His fifth kit was dead. He closed his eyes, and leaned down to his mate, trying to hide his grief. "You gave birth to four healthy kits," he told her. She looked confused.

"I thought I had five." She told him. Lionblaze shook his head. He couldn't lie to her.

"The fifth one… didn't make it," he admitted.

He helped Daisy and Ferncloud push the kits toward their mother, and all four of them began drinking. Lionblaze took the fifth kit outside so it could feel the air one time before he buried him. He decided he'd call it Spottedkit. He licked the kit, wishing he would stir. It didn't.

Lionblaze went outside the camp to bury him.

L

When he returned to the nursery Cinderheart asked him what they should name the kit. He turned to the she-cat who'd broken her own sac first. He told Cinderheart about how the little she-cat had taken her first breath. His mate smiled.

"We should call her Tanglekit," Cinderheart said. He purred, nodding enthusiastically. It was perfect.

"What about the golden brown tom?" he asked. The two of them thought about it.

"How about…?" Lionblaze thought. He didn't realize this would be so hard.

"Juniperkit?" Cinderheart suggested. He nodded. Two down, two to go.

Lionblaze turned to the gray she-cat with the white spot on her neck. She was mewling pitifully as she tried to push past her larger siblings and get to the milk. Lionblaze gave her a small shove, causing her to both mew more and to get the milk. Lionblaze began purring again.

"Smokekit," Lionblaze said, proud of finally coming up with a name. Cinderheart agreed.

Finally they had only one kit left to name. Lionblaze was ready for this one though. It was a black and white tom, and looked as though he were smiling, waiting for his name to be chosen.

"We should call him Falconkit. Look how vicious he already is!" This was somewhat funny of Lionblaze to say, because Falconkit was the smallest, but he was thrashing around madly.

Cinderheart purred in amusement and agreed.

Finally, he was a father of four kits. Smokekit, Juniperkit, Tanglekit, and Falconkit. _What a lot of trouble_ _they're going to cause_, Lionblaze thought to himself, purring with delight.


	15. Chapter 15: Hollyleaf

**A/N: Okay, I'm starting to wonder, is it actually adding in lines? I'm telling them to be put on there, but I'm not sure it's working… let me know. Also, I'm not sure how much I've gotten correct (according to the book) Let me know if you find a mistake.**

Lionblaze woke up and stretched. He'd had little sleep, but he felt good. Then he looked around.

_Oh StarClan, help me_, he thought miserably. He was back in the dark forest, and Tigerstar was running towards him. Lionblaze looked around quickly. When he heard a voice it took him aback.

"Hurry, Lionblaze! Up here!"

He looked up. Ivyflower, Tigerheart, Tawnypelt, Pouncetail, Harespring, Nightcloud, Brambleclaw, and Beechfur were all in a tree above him. Without questioning any of them he shot to the top, leaving Tigerstar below with a surprised and tense look.

"On three, we're all going to jump out," Ivyflower told them all. They all nodded with grim looks. None of them wanted to be here, he realized. That was good at least. All of cats he'd recruited had turned their back on him.

"One," Ivyflower said.

"Two," Brambleclaw whispered.

"NOW!" Tawnypelt yowled, and they all jumped.

Brambleclaw landed squarely on Tigerstar's shoulders, and the rest of them circled him. All at once, they raced forward clawing and biting every party of skin in contact. Then they all leaped off, as if on signal, and landed around him.

"Go! Everybody GO!" Lionblaze yelled, and everyone retreated.

Tigerstar spun around to face him. Lionblaze snarled, leaping. "LEAVE US ALONE!" he yelled, and scratched every little bit of Tigerstar he could reach. When he was done, he stepped back and stared at Tigerstar. He was a bloody, wheezing mess. Lionblaze had made blows on his belly, throat, and back. His former mentor was a mess. He looked around.

Ivyflower, Tigerheart, and Beechfur were battling Hawkfrost, but the RiverClan warrior was the only other enemy he recognized. All the other cats had a match. It was a surprisingly large battle.

He was still surveying the battle field when a force knocked him onto his side. Reeling, he saw Breezepelt, staring at him with murderous eyes. Lionblaze sighed. "Haven't you figured this out? You're not gonna beat me!" He yelled at his attacker furiously.

Breezepelt laughed. "I can't die, so you can't kill me!"

Now Lionblaze was laughing. He lunged at the dead WindClan tom, who didn't move quick enough and was quickly on his back. Breezepelt lifted his back legs up and scratched Lionblaze furiously, but he couldn't even feel it. He scratched with equal force with his back legs, and Breezepelt cried out in pain. Then he leaned down to make the kill. He held on until Breezepelt was begging for mercy. For the second time, he'd beat his worst enemy.

He looked around the battle to see if anyone needed his help. Ivyflower caught his eye. She was bleeding heavily, still battling Hawkfrost. Lionblaze took off in her direction and leaped. The next moment was a blur.

A cat slightly smaller than him hit him off course, knocking his breath out. Stunned, he turned weakly to face his opponent, but the she-cat who he now recognized leaned down and bit his throat. Then she let go, looking satisfied. Her eyes widened when he jumped back up and pinned her down. Then he sprang back up, letting her go. She didn't retreat though.

"Lionblaze? Oh no…"

"Hello… Hollyleaf."

L

Ivyflower batted Hawkfrost's belly with all her might. He yowled in fury and knocked her off. He was just leaping at her again when another cat, Tigerheart by the looks of things, knocked him off course. The two of them battled a few more moments, and then four more cats joined them, circling Hawkfrost. The RiverClan warrior's eyes widened and he began trying to get away. But he was out numbered. Soon he lay on the ground with a vicious bite to his throat. If he weren't already, he'd be dead. Ivyflower leaned down next to him.

"We can beat you. GIVE UP. Send us home, now."

And with that, every cat battling woke up in their den.

L

Lionblaze looked around, shocked. Ivyflower was doing the same. He motioned for her to follow him outside. She nodded and the two of them crept out.

"Why did they bring us back?" Lionblaze asked her.

She shook her head. "I… told Hawkfrost to let us go. And he did, I guess," Ivyflower finally said. He nodded.

Then Ivyflower fell to the ground, and blood poured from her shoulder.


	16. Chapter 16: Ivyflower

**A/N: CLIFFHANGAR! Lol, sorry it took me so long to update I just got back from vacation… Just to let you know, after reading this chapter I have a request of you…**

Lionblaze stared down at Ivyflower in shock. Just a second ago she'd been fine, and… and then…

Lionblaze let out a cry of shock as something knocked him over. He scratched blindly at it, forcing it to let go. Then he turned to face his opponent and saw… nothing. He yowled loudly in frustration.

He could just barely make out a wavering figure. If he stared directly at it, it seemed to disappear, but he could see them all out the corner of his eye. And there were hundreds, thousands, maybe.

"THUNDERCLAN! WAKE UP! ATTACK!" Lionblaze screeched.

Warriors poured sleepily out of their holes, looking around in confusion.

All of the shimmering figures were sitting calmly.

"Lionblaze, there's nothing-"

At that moment, the cat who was talking, Brambleclaw, was knocked over ferociously by an invisible force. Lionblaze turned his head to the side slightly and could make out the faint shape of Tigerstar on top of him.

"No! LEAVE ME ALONE! I GAVE UP ON YOU!" Brambleclaw was yowling desperately. Lionblaze took a running start and leaped with all his might onto the invisible tom's shoulders. Tigerstar yowled angrily and was thrown backwards as Lionblaze batted him around. Tigerstar was a toy to him, a bug, something to play with. He could beat him in his sleep- literally.

ThunderClan was looking around in terror, trying to take in their surroundings.

Then all went silent as one cat, and a Dark Forest warrior spoke up. Lionblaze stopped fighting and tensed sharply as he heard the familiar voice.

"Tomorrow there will be a battle! Gather all the Clans. You will all choose whether to fight for us, or for them," Hollyleaf finished, and then all of the faint outlines of the cats disappeared.

Lionblaze looked around. He felt shaken, terrified, betrayed. He looked around. All the other cats had the same look on their faces.

Firestar climbed onto Highledge. "Lionblaze! Brambleclaw! You two are going through a fight that your entire Clan will back you up on," he announced bravely. Lionblaze nodded his appreciation. He found Jayfeather in the crowd and sat next to him. His brother was shaking horribly. Lionblaze turned to him. He looked sick. He was swaying and his breath came in short rasps. When he fell, Lionblaze barely had time to catch him.

L

Ivyflower lie on the ground, feeling nauseous with pain. Her shoulder was wrenched, split open, bloody. It felt like her entire right leg had been pulled off. Lionblaze had left her. It wasn't his fault though. He didn't know.

She hated him. Hated Hawkfrost so, so much. She wanted to jump off and rip his head off. But she couldn't. She couldn't do anything as her enemy circled her, laughing cruelly.

She knew nobody could see or hear him. He was here for her alone.

"My, my, my. Ivyflower, you didn't actually think you could just… get away did you? I thought I'd taught you better than that. I was foolish. You were never worth it. Never," he taunted her.

He casually stuck a claw into her chest and brought it downward softly. Sharp pain rippled through her as it tore through her flesh. She gasped for breath. He laughed.

"You aren't worth a squirrel's tail. I'll enjoy killing you," Hawkfrost said, and then he stuck ten claws into her belly and tore down with cruel slowness, ripping through her body like it was nothing but moss. Pain gripped her head and held tight. She was going to die. There was nothing she could do about it.

_Please StarClan_, she thought, please_, I don't want the Dark Forest. I want you. I want to fight for you._

Then a shining figure appeared, and she closed her eyes, letting go her last breath, and with it her life.

L

Lionblaze stared at his brother. They needed a medicine cat for him and fast. He'd never considered what would happen if their medicine cat got sick.

"Leafpool! Please! Come quick, Jayfeather's hurt!" he yelled in desperation.

Bright amber eyes stared at him from the crowd and his mother dashed over to him and began examining his brother.

Lionblaze held his breath. "Okay," Leafpool said, "I need you to help me get him inside. Once we're there, I'll treat him."

Lionblaze nodded and together they dragged the medicine cat inside. He wanted to stay but he had many things to attend to. "Please take care of him," he whispered. She looked into his eyes and nodded. He took off out of the den.

First he stopped in the nursery and explained everything to Cinderheart and the kits. He made them promise to stay in the den at all times. Tanglekit only seemed to agree reluctantly.

Next he went to Firestar and asked if he could be sent to alert the other clans. He thought this was urgent. They needed to be warned. He pictured all his friends in the tree who'd been recruited. They would all resist together.

Firestar agreed and told him to go to first ShadowClan, then WindClan, and then RiverClan. He nodded and ran all the way to the ShadowClan border. When he got there he explained their situation. Tawnypelt and Tigerheart backed him up like good friends, and he was very grateful to them. All of ShadowClan agreed to fight on StarClan's behalf.

Next he went to WindClan. When the situation was explained, Onestar began accusing him of trying to distract WindClan, until Harespring and Nightcloud took his side of the argument. It was a sad sight though. Half of WindClan was taking up the idea of fighting for the dark forest. Just as Lionblaze thought a fight would start, Onestar won the argument. Another Clan was on StarClan's side.

RiverClan wasn't difficult. Mistystar instantly began making battle arrangements with her Clan. His work was done.

L

Dovewing was terrified. She was shaking with fear. How had this happened? Nothing had been there, yet Brambleclaw had lied there writhing in terror, trying to escape some unseen predator.

"Ivyflower!" she called out for her sister. Nobody answered. That made her nervous. From across the clearing, she spotted a small dark shape in the clearing. She crept up to it nervously.

It was her sister. She gasped in horror and sprang backwards. Blood had soaked the ground and Dovewing's paws. The ground looked red, even in the moonlight. Ivyflower's body looked as though it had fallen onto many pointed rocks. Dovewing lifted her head and howled at the top of her lungs.

Ivyflower, her best friend, her protector, her sister, was dead.

**A/N: So… remember that request I said I was going to ask you? (if you read the authors notes) Here it is: Please don't chase me out of town with pitchforks because I killed Ivyflower! :P**


	17. Chapter 17: Preperations

**A/N: OOO, I killed a main character. I do that a lot. If you don't like it don't read my stories. :P **

**LOL keep reviewing!**

Dovewing stayed with her sister all night. She struggled to stay awake, because she knew that's what Ivyflower would have done for her. She wasn't happy for a moment of it. Not for a second of that night.

But she didn't care. She was numb to the rest of the world. She only knew two things: Her sister was dead, and she was surrounded by those who'd loved her.

Lionblaze, Whitewing, and she were the only ones who stayed all night. Dovewing knew Lionblaze still blamed himself for her death, but he claimed he saw no attacker. She didn't blame him, not for anything.

Lionblaze looked up. "I know you miss her. But she's still with you. StarClan will honor her," he said softly. Then he put his head back on his paws and his head disappeared behind her sister's body once more.

She closed her eyes_. Are you really still here? Are you in StarClan, watching over me?_ She thought.

She opened her eyes. The sun was rising, and as she stared into its beautiful blaze, she thought she saw the shape of a shimmering young cat.

L

Lionblaze walked around in a trance. He couldn't believe it. He'd gotten Ivyflower killed. He'd left her laying there with a bloody shoulder. And she'd paid because of it. He wondered who'd killed her. He wondered if he'd ever know.

The sun was rising. Dovewing still looked sad. He could barely look at her. It was his fault that her sister and best friend was dead.

But he couldn't dwell on that. He needed to be ready for the battle. The Clans were meeting on WindClan territory. It was open and surrounded with trees. Perfect for fighting invisible enemies. He wished.

Lionblaze got up the minute the red light turned golden. He stood up, steadied himself, and took off through the forest. Stopping to scent the air, he caught squirrel in the scent, and rocketed toward it. He wasn't in the mood for stalking his prey when he could just chase it. Lionblaze needed to wake himself up.

Once he'd caught the squirrel he went back to camp. The prey pile was already piled high, and he added his squirrel to it. Then he chose a vole and tore in. This was a battle he could not afford to lose, and he would be prepared for it.

He watched his Clan prepare for the day. It was going to be a rough one.

Thinking, Lionblaze ran to the nursery. Once inside he was swarmed by four tiny warriors, all yowling and throwing themselves at him. He purred. Juniperkit and Smokekit jumped off him and stared defiantly into his eyes. Tanglekit and Falconkit followed their lead. Then they all fell over laughing.

Cinderheart purred. "Alright now, come off your father, he's almost too old to fight," she joked. Lionblaze pawed her ear playfully.

Cinderheart's face hardened into a scowl. "Be careful today, okay? I'm expecting you back here right after the battle," she growled unhappily. Lionblaze licked her ear.

"I'll be back. I'm just glad you're stuck in the nursery so that you'll be safe," he said. She laughed.

Then Lionblaze licked all his kits on their head and left.

L

Dovewing didn't know which cat had killed her sister. It didn't matter. She wanted revenge. Her time was here. The prophecy was coming true. She was going to use her gift.

She found Jayfeather preparing herbs in his den. "Marigold, poppy seeds, ivy, horsetail, thyme," he was listing. He looked up when she walked in. "Dovewing. I'm so sorry about Ivyflower. I know you two were close," he started.

Dovewing bowed her head. "Thank you. Jayfeather, I need to talk to you," she mewed.

He nodded. "Yes, yes, hurry up, I need to get back to my herbs," he growled impatiently.

She nodded without hesitation. "The prophecy… Do you think…"

Jayfeather stopped what he was doing and looked at her with calm recognition in his eyes. He nodded.

"Yes, I'm sure of it. Lionblaze and I have talked about it. Lionblaze will especially be using his gift today. We're all fighting for StarClan. We're going to make it out of this."

Dovewing thanked him and left. Firestar was on Highledge.

"All cats! Gather under Highledge." Firestar called out the unusual greeting to the Clan with an unusual tenseness about him.

Every cat old enough to understand his words gathered around their leader.

"Today is the battle! Not even our ancestors in StarClan know how this battle will turn out! Be brave ThunderClan! Fight!"

All of the cats gathered around yowled their approval. Firestar bowed his head when the cheering had stopped.

The Clan looked at him in confusion.

Suddenly Dovewing knew what was coming. She stood up and looked at Lionblaze and Jayfeather. They nodded and the three of them walked to sit at the base of Highledge. Firestar raised his head.

"ThunderClan has given all Clans an advantage in this battle. It comes from these three cats," the leader began solemnly. Kits and warriors alike widened their eyes in surprise.

"Many moons ago, I received a prophecy from StarClan. '_There_ _will be three, kin of your kin, that hold_ _the power of the stars in their paws_,'" the ginger tom continued.

Shocked murmurs rippled through the crowd. Firestar went on. "These are the three cats. They have… abilities, that even StarClan do not possess. They will give us the upper hand in the battle. Because of them, we will win," he finally finished. There was silence. Then the clearing burst into cheers as what Firestar had said sunk in. Dovewing wished her sister were here to see it.

L

Lionblaze focused on what the leaders were saying. Their battle plan was excellent. Lionblaze felt confident that they would win.

Dovewing leaned over and nudged him lightly. He turned to her and twitched his ears questioningly.

"They're here. I can hear them. They're getting closer," she whispered. He nodded. Dovewing ran forward and alerted Firestar. His eyes widened, but he nodded without hesitation and yowled an alarm. The Clans, made of a few hundred cats turned to face their enemies.

There was a small rumbled. Every cat that had remained in the clearing they had met in looked to the ground. Pebbles jumped into the air lightly, the ground shook unsteadily.

Then every cat, their Clan differences put aside for the moment, looked up in alarm, to see hundreds of thousands of Dark Forest warriors running toward them.


	18. Chapter 18: The stick

**A/N: Hey everybody! Sorry it took me so long to get last chap posted. **

**Okay, since I haven't done this yet. Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors, Erin Hunter does. If I owned it Tigerstar would have died and STAYED DEAD!**

Lionblaze ran with his friends away from the billions of cats trampling towards them. A mighty laughter was rising from them, as though every Dark Forest cat thought they were trying to avoid the battle. Lionblaze smiled. Part one: Convince the stupid fur balls they were cowards.

L

Jayfeather studied the ground littered with dead bodies in front of him from his watch tree. He knew his part in the plan and he was about to finish it.

_Okay, next I've got to find my group and lead them to the place the Clans are planning to attack from_, the tom below him was thinking. Jayfeather was listening hard to understand what he was thinking. It wasn't easy.

_First, I've got to get that mouse-brained spy out of my way_, the voice came to his head. Jayfeather shot out across his branch and jumped as far as he could. The tom was following him, he just knew it.

_Gotcha_, he thought, smiling to himself. He knew this leaders plan, and he was about to let everybody know it. They knew the Clans plan, now they knew the Forest's.

Once Jayfeather knew that the tom had cornered him he spun around and leaped at his throat, biting down hard. The cat, stunned that the innocent blind medicine kitten had gotten him, fell to the ground. Jayfeather raked his claws down the tom's side to make sure he got the point.

"Stay put or I'll give you more," Jayfeather snarled to the tom's face. He felt his opponent begin to stir, thinking he wouldn't know, and he smashed the tom's nose with his paw as hard as he could. The warrior fell with a thud and a small cry of oof! Jayfeather clawed him once more and knew that this cat wouldn't be bothering the clans again.

He sprinted away to his next destination.

L

Dovewing watched from a tree with Lionblaze. She could see them and hear them now, in the distance. "They're very close now!" she announced boldly. The other cats nodded.

First a light-footed she-cat stepped into the clearing. She looked around in what Dovewing thought might be confusion. Her small army of about ten other cats followed her. They all looked around, but none of them saw the twenty cats in the tree above them.

"NOW!" Lionblaze yowled, and all twenty cats leaped from their tree and onto the stunned army of Dark Forest warriors below.

When all ten of them were surrounded and defeated, the Clan cats turned around and ran to their next battle post.

They were half way there when they were ambushed.

L

Ivyflower looked down from her spot next to Mousefur on the battle below. Her sister was fighting valiantly, but she was no match for the great broad-shouldered tom facing her.

"Now?" she begged. Mousefur shook her head. She turned back to the battle. Then she turned back. "Now?" she asked again. Mousefur shook her head again, irritated.

_It must be any second now_… she thought. She turned to Yellowfang, who was standing behind her. She was staring at the ugly tom who Dovewing was fighting as well. "NOW?" she pleaded. Yellowfang put her tail across Ivyflower's mouth. Ivyflower scowled.

She could barely hear a cry of pain echo from her sister's mouth. A long scratch ran from Dovewing's ear to her chin.

Ivyflower stood up and began running down to her sister's aid. Though she didn't see it at the time, Yellowfang was right behind her.

L

Dovewing let out a cry of pain as the tom with a smushed-in nose gave her a scar that ran from her ear to her chin.

She started to fall over backwards when another cat slightly larger than herself jumped in front of her. Lionblaze bit the larger tom squarely on his ugly nose, causing him to leap backwards in fury. She nodded thanks to him and jumped back up to battle their enemy.

L

Ivyflower skidded to a halt so quickly that Yellowfang, running behind her, crashed directly into Ivyflower.

Her sister was safe, Lionblaze was there. She smiled and the two of them turned back around.

"Why were you so interested in helping Dovewing?" Ivyflower asked her friend curiously.

Yellowfang bent her head down. "The tom facing her? He's my son."

L

Jayfeather stared at the she-cat who he was facing. He could SEE her.

"Jay's Wing? Call on us. We're still here," she whispered before fading into mist.

Jayfeather snapped upright and looked at the lake. _We're still here. We're still here_.

Jayfeather looked around. There in front of him was a stick. Just a small simple stick with three small lines being marked onto it before his very eyes. Bulging blind eyes looked up at him. Slowly, Rock drew a fourth line evenly through the center.

L

Lionblaze batted his opponent's belly over and over, but the merciless tom wasn't letting go. Irritated that the tom wouldn't figure it out – that he wasn't doing anything to Lionblaze – he leaped up and pinned his opponent down, biting his neck. The crazed tom looked at his paws in horror. They had begun glowing. The tom disintegrated before his very eyes.

Lionblaze smiled. They could get rid of them, send them away. Forever.

L

Jayfeather studied the stick carefully. He knew what to do. This wasn't part of the plan though. What if he messed everything up? _No_, Jayfeather though. _No, we're losing. We need more cats to fight for us_. _And I can get them._ He turned tail and ran away from the lake at full speed.

**A/N: Okay, this battle's going to take up a few chapters. I'm going to be changing POV a lot. It makes the battle more interesting. Keep reading because I'll be updating a lot today! Thanks for REVIEWS!**


	19. Chapter 19: Avenging Ivyflower's death

**A/N: OMG, I just couldn't wait to post this chapter. So here it is, you guys will enjoy. *Evil smirk***

Jayfeather kept running. He ran so long he thought he'd veer of course, or fall into a rabbit's hole.

Eventually he came to the place where his footsteps fell into others, and he recognized his surroundings despite his blindness.

For the first time in moons he could find the familiar feeling of other cats wreathing their bodies around his, the sound of them whispering in his ear. He could understand every word they said. He lifted his head.

"Ancient cats! There is a battle raging between Star Clan and the dark forest. Please, would the Tribe of Endless Hunting come to our aid!" he yowled. Silence answered him. Then there was the sound of wind and rushing water, the sound of ice breaking and a hawk squealing. There was the sound of battle cries and victorious jeers. There was the sound of a quiet water fall, and two cats as they twirled their tails together. It all came as one sound, and for a moment he thought he'd imagined it, but he hadn't. For once in his life he could see without dreaming. All around him hundreds of cats, almost double the amount of the Clans, were surrounding him, and he could see, for the first time in his life, the footsteps of the ancient cats. The ones his feet were in at this moment. He felt the shimmering cats twining themselves around him, and he knew he had another family.

He turned around and began to run, with hundreds of cats behind him. He was running so fast that he almost didn't notice Leafpool standing beside the entrance to Moon pool.

L

Lionblaze was fighting with tooth and claw, but he was beginning to notice that it wasn't enough. The entire group of Clans had made their way to the most open spot on the moor in WindClan territory, and they were fighting a furious, impossible battle. Dead Clan cats littered the ground on every side of him.

The she-cat he was facing was extremely large. She had announced to him her name was Berrytwig, a name he didn't recognize. He'd told her so too, and she wasn't happy with him. Her claws bounced off him harmlessly, but Lionblaze's scraped a deep gash in her side. She yowled in fury and pain and pounced, for a fifth of sixth time, onto his head.

This strange move was met by teeth, and soon Lionblaze watched as Berrytwig disintegrated before him into nothingness. He turned to find another opponent and cringed. While there were many less Dark Forest warriors, he thought there must still be thousands more. In his absentminded search for any familiar cat in need of him, the force that bowled him over was unexpected.

When he spun around to face his newest challenger, he gasped.

"Once I kill you Lionblaze, you're coming to fight with us!" Hollyleaf bellowed.

L

Leafpool felt herself being, quite literally dragged to Moonpool.

She didn't fight it though. Instead she allowed it to carry her all the way to the beautiful, shimmering cave.

She was going to come anyway, to tell StarClan they needed help. When she'd left so many Clan cat bodies had busied the ground that the remaining few could hardly move.

She remembered the vacant eyes of Thornclaw, the empty body of Dustpelt, and the unmoving chest of Hazeltail. What terrible losses the three of them were.

She would mourn later. She had to find help. She had to avenge their deaths.

At long last, she arrived at the cave. Her son was just bursting out of it. Shocked, she was hit to the side by a shimmering force. Terrified, and thinking Jayfeather was leading more Dark Forest cats to the battle, she stared uncomprehendingly at him as he skidded to a halt and turned to her.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, none too kindly.

"I was coming for help. I thought StarClan would join the battle," she admitted. His eyes widened. There was a long and awkward silence between them.

"I'm bringing help too. Get StarClan, we'll run back together," he finally mewed.

She couldn't believe he was being so… kind with her. Like she was… his mother. She nodded and ran inside.

She couldn't decide how to ask. Just announce it to the cave? No, that wouldn't work. Finally she knelt down next to the pool and took a small sip. Then she closed her eyes.

When she awoke she was surrounded by starry figures. "Leafpool," one of them said, "We've been waiting for you to come back. We will help you," Bluestar promised.

She woke up.

The cave was lit up so bright Leafpool could hardly see. She turned around. Thousands of starry figures were around her, looking similar to the ones Jayfeather had been leading. She shot out of the cave. Jayfeather, her kit, was still waiting for her. They looked at each other for a moment, and then together they broke off into the wind, feeling as though they had more energy than they could possibly hold.

L

Dovewing thought of her sister and felt propelled as she leaped through the air and onto her opponent's shoulders. The battle around her was raging fiercely. Footsteps and yowls of loss were echoing around her as she fought. As the tom she'd been fighting disappeared, she heard a pair of very large footsteps thudding behind her. She wasn't quick enough.

Soon claws were tearing the back of her head. She threw her new enemy off in desperation and spun around to face him.

He looked crazed, but laughed when he saw her. "So you're the famous Dovewing," he mewed harshly. Did she know him? He didn't look familiar.

"You've brought the famous Tigerstar, but I don't know who _you_ are," she retorted furiously. He laughed again.

"You're sister was feisty. She was fun to kill," he growled.

Anger surged into Dovewing's belly so strongly she thought she might explode as she collided with the broad-shouldered tabby tom. He easily pushed her off, though he looked slightly surprised.

"My name is Hawkfrost. Perhaps she told you about me?" Hawkfrost snarled. They were circling each other.

"Yes. But only once she got mad and ditched you," Dovewing snarled back. Hawkfrost's amusement turned to anger.

Hawkfrost began to make the first move. His claws latched onto Dovewing hard. She didn't feel it though. She felt as though she had wings. She did a perfect backflip upward and landed squarely behind him. She smashed the soft spot of his back legs with her head, a move Ivyflower had taught her, and he collapsed.

"How? How did you..," Hawkfrost struggled, and she shrugged.

"My sister taught me," she meowed softly. His eyes were lit with fear as he faced her, but she didn't know why. With fire burning in her stomach, she pounced hard onto Hawkfrost. She pinned him down and stared into his scared eyes.

"You were never worth it," she said, casually digging a claw into his chest and raking it down. He squealed in pain. She laughed.

"I'll enjoy killing you," she snarled. And with that she drove ten claws into his belly and raked down. His fur ran red and stained her claws. But she didn't stop until his intestines spilled out and he had no more blood.

She jumped fearfully high, and it was as though she were looking at herself from another pair of eyes.

Dovewing's fur was glowing with the light of a star, and her eyes were suns, spilling out light on the battle scene below. She was high above it, in midair, hanging there with a fury so strong she didn't recognize herself.

_I am in you, said a voice in her head_. Ivyflower's voice. _We have avenged my death. Thank you sister_.


	20. Chapter 20: Ending

**A/N: Last chapter was sooo fun. Hope this chapter just as good…**

Lionblaze stared his sister down unhappily. "What do you think, Shag? Should I rip his stomach open? Or perhaps claw his throat apart. Yes, that sounds nice, don't you think?" Hollyleaf mewed unpleasantly. Her friend nodded with determination in his eyes. Lionblaze hated every moment of it.

Hollyleaf stepped back as Shag tried to fight him. Lionblaze was whipping the poor cat's hide.

But what happened next caught him off guard. The cat had obviously noticed he was doing no damage to Lionblaze, and leaped onto his back. Shag's claws dug into a tiny point in Lionblaze's side. He gasped at the sharp pain it brought. Lionblaze wasn't used to pain after being nearly invincible on a battlefield. The sharpness of it shocked him. He opened his mouth to yowl, but no sound came out. He should have known he had a weak spot. He should have known.

But he hadn't. And now he would pay for it. He turned and looked at his sister. She was looking at him with an unreadable look. It looked somewhat… sad?

"Hollyleaf! Hollyleaf please! Help!" he begged. The spot where the cat had hit was leaking with blood. Shag's eyes widened with realization of Lionblaze's weak spot. Blood was gushing unendingly out of it.

Hollyleaf looked away. Then she looked back and leaped onto Shag's back, ripping him off. Lionblaze gasped for air. He jumped up as soon as the burden Shag had given him was released.

As soon as Hollyleaf's fangs made contact with Shag's throat, the pain Lionblaze had been dying of was released. He breathed out his relief.

He turned to his sister. "Thank you. Thank you so much," he whispered. She nodded right before another challenger leaped onto Lionblaze.

Lionblaze leaned down and bit down mercilessly on his opponent's throat. The tom's eyes widened and then went blank, his body went slack. Lionblaze turned to look for another challenger.

Tigerstar and Breezepelt stood in front of him, still alive by some miracle. Lionblaze smirked. This was the time to rid the Clans of them. The two toms leaped forward, but Lionblaze held his ground. At the last second he sprang upward, landing behind them lightly. He knocked their legs out from under them. Springing back up, he landed on Breezepelt and spun him onto his belly.

"I've won this battle twice. Getting a friend to help you makes you a coward, but it won't make you win," Lionblaze whispered softly. Then he lowered his head slowly and sank his fangs into Breezepelt's throat. Slowly, painfully, dragging the moment out. Breezepelt yowled a painful scream that echoed in Lionblaze's ear. Lionblaze never made a death this cruel, but Breezepelt was not just his enemy. He was an undefeatable coward who was finally having his life ended. And to what Lionblaze thought was his horror, he was enjoying it.

Finally Breezepelt let out a light gurgle, and he closed his eyes and his body slackened. Tigerstar laughed behind him.

"Well done, apprentice. You learned much from me. You thought it was all the little prophecy… Sorry it wasn't. I bet you were disappointed," Tigerstar taunted.

"It was a prophecy," Lionblaze mewed confidently. "It's coming true right now. You're not going to like it when you find out I'm undefeatable," he taunted back.

"We'll see about that!" Tigerstar yowled, and then he landed on the motionless Lionblaze's shoulders. Lionblaze smirked. Another impossible battle on Tigerstar's paws.

Tigerstar ripped Lionblaze with his claws and bit down on him hard, but he remained motionless and strong. Finally Tigerstar threw himself off and faced Lionblaze, who was grinning. He purred in amusement.

"Very good, my mentor, you have learned much from me," he mocked Tigerstar without fear. His former mentor's eyes lit with such fury that Lionblaze thought he would blow up. To Lionblaze's disappointment, he didn't.

But he did let out a lot of blood when Lionblaze bit his neck from behind.

He watched as the light drained from Tigerstar's eyes. His longest enemy disappeared forever right before his very eyes.

When he turned around Hollyleaf was still there.

Together they turned to battle their next challenger, a spotted black and ginger tom, when a small rumbling sound hit his ears. He stopped fighting and turned to look at where the sound was coming from. At the same time a force of such strength it shocked the breath out of him knocked him ten feet back.

Leafpool and Jayfeather were leading thousands of glowing cats into the battle. Their shocked enemies regained themselves and threw themselves at the new glowing cats. _StarClan came!_ Lionblaze thought gleefully. _They came!_

L

Dovewing felt powerful. Powerful like she had never felt before. She was throwing herself into every stunned enemies face possible. Their eyes would widen with fear, and then the light would drain out and they would disappear.

They were winning.

They were finally winning!


	21. Chapter 21: Epilogue

**A/N: This is the end my friends. I've enjoyed writing this story so much, and I hope you all keep it on your favorites list. Enjoy the ending.**

Jayfeather and Leafpool finished doing Briarlight's exercises with her. Leafpool dismissed him and he ran out into the camp.

Lionblaze was off a few feet of way, speaking with a pale, shimmering figure. Hollyleaf turned when she saw her second brother and he smiled at her. The three of them went off in the forest together to talk, enjoying each other's company.

Jayfeather was loving every moment of Lionblaze's shimmering golden coat, the gorgeous green leaves, and the beautiful blue water. Sight was something he'd never dreamed of coming. He felt so whole. So complete.

He was also enjoy Half Moon's company twenty four seven. She'd become a constant companion. He loved having her around.

L

The light in Dovewing's fur had finally died down. She thought she had seen Ivyflower's faint shape step out of her body.

Finding everybody was okay was like a dream come true. Her mother and father had survived, her mentor.

Though she mourned the loss of Dustpelt, Hazeltail, and Thornclaw, she knew they weren't far off. Plus, Ivyflower would look after them.

L

Lionblaze walked into the nursery and was swarmed by the usual greeting: tiny claws and teeth against his invincible gold pelt. He purred and settled down next to his mate and kits. He told them stories and laughed and played. His brother and sister weren't far away, watching his kits as they played with him.

His life felt perfect. They'd won the war. Cinderheart was right here. Jayfeather and Hollyleaf were just as close. Leafpool was medicine cat, and Jayfeather, though he tried to hide it, was happy about it. He was happy to have a companion back, and he wasn't so grouchy anymore. And he could see.

_The life of a Clan cat_, he thought, _is a good one_.

L

Yellowfang padded over to sit by Bluestar.

She was looking down on her Clan with a love that Yellowfang didn't often see. The two of them were so proud.

"We did it," Bluestar mewed, and Yellowfang nodded her agreement. "We sent Ivyflower a dream. And she saved the clans from destruction."

Yellowfang nodded again. "Look at them!" she said in mock disapproval.

Tanglekit, Falconkit, Juniperkit, and Smokekit were tumbling around in the dirt. "They need to get out of that nursery- for good!" Yellowfang meowed happily. Bluestar laughed.

A tiny kit came and curled up next to Yellowfang. Thought the gray she-cat didn't like to admit it, she'd become rather attached to Spottedkit, Lionblaze's fifth kit. She nuzzled the kit affectionately.

"When the fifth has died, the trees will blow over, and destruction the fifth may bring."

Bluestar and Yellowfang stared at Spottedkit. She was grooming herself as though she hadn't said anything.

"When the fifth has died…"

"Here we go again," Bluestar whispered. Yellowfang groaned.

They began discussing the prophecy in low whispers.

"Maybe this is good. If peace lasts too long, the Clan cats will get bored," Yellowfang whispered, and they both laughed.


End file.
